Last Hope
by ShaduofTexitar
Summary: Set back before Seto was adopted, Seto has lost his motivation for anything, and his chance, every chance, at being adopted. But fate has more in store for him, and he will reach his destiny, one way or another. It might not be what he had in mind though.
1. Cursed Car

Shadu: Okay, so we all know the story of Kaiba's past, right? How he challenged Gozaburo to a chess match in order to try to get a better life for Mokuba? I can pretty much guess that we all agree that Kaiba's main driving force through the whole thing was Mokuba, correct? Well, what if Mokuba wasn't in the picture? What if he died prior to that? What would've happened then?

Hokage: And we're going to use _A_ Japanese name.

Shadu: Not all Japanese names, just one, but only because I don't like the American last name, at least for this story.

"No, no you worthless piece of rubbish," Mike Kujaku yelled as he slammed his fist down on the steering wheel of the car he was driving as it sputtered pathetically and slowed down to a complete stop. "Not now, not now!"

"Honey, calm down," his wife, Mary Kujaku, told him. "Mai is safe at the Johnson's, she can wait a little while, I promise."

"But this stupid piece of-" Mike was about to say before he was cut off by a sharp glare from his wife, "trash," he finished.

"We'll be okay, look, there's a building right over there, we might be able to get help from them," Mary stated, pointing to a house not to far from them, tucked away in the forest beside the dirt road they were on.

"Alright, let's go," Mike growled as he climbed out of the car, Mary following behind.

They two hiked over to the smaller road leading into the quaint little home. It was nearly completely covered by trees and was almost impossible to see from the road. Mary was shocked she even saw it at all. It wasn't overly large, but wasn't extremely small either. It looked like a small cabin. Mike was a little shocked that there would be a house this far into the woods, especially on a run-down road such as the one they were walking on. The only reason they had been traveling on it in the first place was because they were coming back from a business meeting in another town and this was the only way to get to and from that ratty old town. Which brought up another question, why hadn't they seen it going to the town?

"Last Chance Orphanage," Mike mumbled as he read the sign in front of the porch. "Just great," he groaned.

Mary was already knocking on the door when Mike walked up. The door was made of wood that was starting to splinter here and there, but thankfully supplied visitors with a brass knocker. It was a rusted old knocker that squeaked every time it was moved. It did, however, produce a loud rapping sound, and that's all that mattered. The two waited and waited, and Mike's patience grew thin.

Mike was just about to walk away when the door opened. A younger woman poked her head out. She was in her late teens, early twenties with a light brown ponytail tied neatly on her head. She wore thin-framed glasses and her light green, almost blue, eyes looked through them and up at Mary and Mike. She was much shorter than the two of them, giving her an inferior look, in Mike's eyes.

"May I help you?" she asked.

"Yes, my name is Mike Kujaku, I was wondering if you have any spare gas, or know of a gas station nearby," Mike stated.

"No, I don't have any gas and there is no gas station for miles," the woman replied sympathetically.

"Shoot!" Mike growled.

"But if you want, you can stay here for the night, my supplies should be coming in tomorrow, and with it, some gas I'll let you have," the small lady offered.

Before Mike could answer, Mary piped up, saying, "Oh, that's wonderful, thank you."

"Happy to help, my name's Alisa," the woman smiled, opening the door wider. "Oh, and I hope you don't mind children, because there's a lot of them here," she added.

The two walked in and gaped. There were at least thirty or forty children running around the place. In and out of the back door they went. Some sat on the couch in the main room. Others sat on the floor and played games. There were those who watched TV and others that played with action figures, some missing an arm or leg. And in the midst of it all, sitting by himself in a dark corner away from the lights, sat a small, brown-haired boy.

Shadu: I gotta go to bed guys, but please review. And now do you know who's Japanese name I kept?


	2. Little Seto

Shadu: And it's time for another chapter. Please, if you read, review.

Mary studied the little boy. He seemed unusually thin for his age and his brown hair looked as though it hadn't brushed or washed in days. He did nothing but sit there, his back against the wall and his right side resting against the wall beside him. He was positioned so that his head faced the front door and his other side shielded him from everyone else. His knees were pulled up to his chest and his arms were wrapped around them. But Mary's thoughts were interrupted by Alisa.

"Everyone, we have two guests that will be spending the night with us," Alisa announced to the children. "Be nice to Mr. and Mrs. Kujaku."

"Mr. and Mrs. K will do fine," Mary told Alisa.

The kids all came over to meet and greet the two strangers. They all were ecstatic that outsiders had come into the orphanage. It wasn't everyday that they got visitors. They all looked the two strangers up and down. Some hugged their legs while others yelled hi. The only one that didn't come over to join in was the kid in the corner. Alisa looked over and noticed the boy. With a heavy sigh, she walked over to him, Mary watching her.

"Hey, aren't you going to join us in welcoming our guests?" Alisa asked the small boy gently.

The small boy didn't respond with anything other than pulling his legs even closer to his body. Mary managed to get out of the mass of children and get over to where Alisa and the boy were. Bending down, she got a better look at the timid kid.

His hair would've been a beautiful brown, if it were clean and his eyes were the deepest shade of blue she had ever encountered. He was very thin, but not necessarily small, exactly. He looked like he would be tall, if he stood up.

"Who's this guy?" Mary inquired.

"His name is Seto, but he doesn't respond to that," Alisa replied. "He doesn't know his name is Seto. He thinks his name is 'kid' or 'brat'," Alisa replied as Seto tensed at the two names she spoke. "He's been through twenty-one foster homes in three years. He's currently seven."

"That's seven foster homes a year! What's wrong with him?" Mary demanded.

"He's keeps getting put in abusive homes that either beat him because he won't do what they say or who ignore him, which is nearly the worst thing you can do to a child," Alisa stated, sitting down beside Seto, who pressed even harder against the wall.

"I thought the orphanages run background checks on their foster parents," Mary raised a surprised eyebrow as she continued to study Seto, who kept his fidgety eyes successfully diverted.

"Yes, well, they checked out alright and then turned bad when he got there," Alisa sighed sadly. "It's a sad thing."

"So, that's why he's so afraid," Mary mused.

"We also believe he was abused by his biological parents," Alisa continued. "He used to have a brother, but he died in the first foster home because of a disease, I think."

"So, why hasn't anyone adopted him, why'd he end up here?" Mary questioned.

"My you have a lot of questions," Alisa chuckled merrily. "Well, for one thing he's terrified of everyone. As you can well see, he hates being around anyone. He doesn't move from this spot very often, only to go to the restroom and shower, upon my request. But other than that he doesn't move much. He eats in this corner, sleeps in this corner, sits in this corner. Most of the kids leave him alone, now. When he first came they tried to do things with him, but they've all given up on that. Newbies are warned that they don't touch him, though we don't get many. I still keep his bed open for him, incase he wants to go and sleep on a mattress, but he hasn't so far. The other thing is I don't think he wants to be adopted. It's like he's lost all drive to go on. Poor fella."

"Alisa, Alisa it's six!" a little boy of about four called as he raced over to Alisa.

"Okay," Alisa chuckled, standing up. "It's dinner time, would you like to help cook?" Alisa asked Mary.

"Sure," Mary nodded, standing up.

"Yay!" all the children cried.

Mary took one more look at Seto, who had relaxed a little, and then followed Mary into the kitchen.

Cooking dinner turned out to be quite an experience. All twenty-nine kids pitched in, retrieving supplies and appliances from various places. Mary and Alisa swam through the sea of kids to the stove. They reached over heads and between bodies to find what they needed and move the pots and skillets on the stovetop. Mike sat back and watched the whole thing. He wasn't sure that the kitchen could fit another person, let alone one his size.

When everything was finally cooked, Alisa yelled out, "To the table!"

All the kids raced to the long table in the dinning hall, making sure they sat by the one they wanted to, and watched anxiously for the food. As Mary and Alisa brought out and set the food on the table, the kids eyed it hungrily, but didn't eat any. Really, there wasn't much of a variety. It was mostly macaroni and cheese with some hot dogs, but there was a bunch of it. There had to be a bunch of it, though.

After Alisa and Mary sat down, Alisa looked around and then said, "Everyone, let's bow our heads and say grace."

All the kids bowed their heads, just like they did every mealtime.

"Father, thank you for the food, and for every little kid here, and for our visitors and good health," a little girl broke in, "And Seto, even though he doesn't like any of us," Alisa smiled, "Yes, and for little Seto," she agreed. "Amen," she concluded.

At the sound of the last letter of the last word, all the kids eagerly began to reach for the food in front of them. The plopped heaps of macaroni on their plates and took a hot dog and began to eat greedily. Mike crumpled his nose at the yellow mess in front of him, but didn't say anything as he began to eat slowly. Mary didn't take it slow, however, always being a big fan of macaroni and cheese herself.

"I never caught your name," Alisa, who was sitting beside Mary and Mike, asked Mary.

"I'm Mary, and you already know my husband," Mary answered with a smile.

"Yes, so, what brings you down this way?" Alisa asked.

"Coming back from a business meeting," Mike replied.

"Ah, you must have had a meeting in Jaskan, the road by this place is the only way to currently reach it," Alisa stated.

"Yes, that's right," Mary nodded.

"Well then, I guess it's rather fortunate that this place is out in the middle of nowhere," Alisa chuckled.

"Alisa," a little girl called.

"Yes Michelle, what is it?" Alisa replied.

"Doesn't Seto get to eat?" Michelle asked.

"Oh, yes, with all the excitement, I nearly forgot little Seto," Alisa nodded, taking a plate with her as she stood up.

After putting some macaroni and a hot dog on it, Alisa took the plate over to Seto. Mary watched as Alisa tried to get Seto to take it. When he didn't do anything, Alisa set it on the floor beside him and walked back to the table. Seto sat there for a few seconds, and then, he began to sniff the food. He turned his head to look at the food, and then let his legs go and crossed his legs as he picked up the plate. Slowly he began to nibble at the food. He ended up eating half the hot dog and half of the macaroni. Then, he set the plate back down and pulled his legs back up to his chest, turning back to his original position.

He was depressed, no doubt about it, Mary concluded. A kid that young shouldn't be depressed, but little Seto was.

Shadu: Hehe, it's kind of fun reconstructing Seto's past. Anyway, please review.


	3. Adoption

Shadu: ::stretches:: I love writing, but I love it better when people review! I'll ask you again later in this chapter, but please review.

"Honey, I've been thinking," Mary said to her husband that night before they went to bed, "Mai's always alone, you know. She's always complaining that she never has anyone. So, why don't we adopt someone from here."

"Who do you have in mind?" Mike asked.

"Well, I was thinking that little Seto kid," Mary looked at Mike.

"What, that kid that sits in that corner all the time?" Mike stared at her in disbelief when Mary nodded. "You can't be serious."

"I am Mike, I am," Mary told him. "He's depressed, and scared. And we may not be able to do anything but get him out of here, but isn't that worth anything?"

"I suppose so," Mike grumbled. "But how are we going to tell Mai?"

"Tell her we adopted a kid and he's now her brother," Mary shrugged. "She's smart, I think she'll understand."

"What if she's jealous?" Mike wondered.

"You take Seto and I'll take Mai, that way they both get a parent," Mary stated bluntly.

"I still say no," Mike shook his head. "He's one more mouth to feed."

"He'd be one less here, and they don't have much to spare here whereas we have a bunch to spare," Mary countered.

"Why him?" Mike asked unexpectedly.

"He's the only one that truly needs help," Mary pointed out.

Mike groaned. His wife had such a big heart. He swore up and down that it would one day get her into trouble. She only wanted to help, and he couldn't dispute that. He was too soft with her, and he knew it. He sighed in defeat knowing he couldn't stop Mary once she got something in her mind.

"Alright, we'll adopt the kid before we leave tomorrow," Mike told her.

"Thank you," Mary cried as she hugged Mike.

Mike laid down with a groan and went to sleep, almost dreading waking up the next morning.

The sunlight filtered through the window much too early for Mike's liking. Mary, however, was very excited because she knew that today she was going to help someone. Today, they would take home Seto. The two of them got up and washed up. Mary helped make breakfast and it was during this time that Mary asked the question.

"Hey Alisa, I was wondering something last night," Mary said as they ate.

"Yeah?" Alisa looked up.

"Can kids from this place be adopted?" Mary asked.

"Sure, always, though it's rare," Alisa shrugged. "Why?"

"Well, I was thinking I wanted to adopt one of these kids," Mary stated.

"Oh really, which one?" Alisa asked, her eyebrows raising.

"I'd like to adopt Seto," Mary annouced.

When Alisa heard this, she nearly choked on the food in her mouth. She painfully swallowed the food and looked at Mary.

"What?" she asked after she had gotten over the choking.

"I want to adopt Seto," Mary restated.

"That's what I thought you said," Alisa nodded.

"Is there a problem?" Mike piped up.

"No, no, nothing like that, it's just that no one has ever even looked at Seto, much less want to adopt him," Alisa explained. "If you want to take him home, I will not stop you. You will have to fill out some papers though.

"We can get right on it after breakfast," Mary said happily.

When breakfast ended, Mary went right to work on the papers. Mike entertained the kids. Mary had just finished the papers when the promised supply truck pulled up just outside the orphanage. Mary stood and went over to Seto. She bent down and watched as he tensed up.

"Here there," Mary said to him softly. "I have a question. How would you like to have a home?"

She noticed that Seto's grip tightened and a small tear found its roots in his eye. Mary wasn't going to lose her patience though.

"Would you like to come with me?" she tried again.

This time she got a little response. Seto turned his head towards her a little. Mary would take that as a yes. Mary smiled and rose to her feet, extending her hand to him. Seto didn't even look at the hand, but simply kept his head down. Mary realized that he wouldn't get up on his own. Bending down, Mary scooped up the thin boy, who was incredibly light for his age. Seto tensed. Every muscle in his entire body stiffened. Mary started to speak to him softly, trying to relax him, but it didn't work. Seto remained tense until they set him in the car.

"Alisa said that there's enough in the tank to get us to town and to a gas station," Mike told Mary as he got in the car beside her.

Mary nodded. She couldn't wait to get home. She couldn't wait to sleep in her own bed, or see her little girl. She couldn't wait to introduce Seto to his new home. She just couldn't wait.

Shadu: I'm not going into details about what happened on the car ride. You can understand. Nothing exciting happened, promise. Now, review if you want a new chapter.


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